Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it.

"You are so self absorbed," Gray announced, pulling his hat down a little lower, sneering from beneath it. "Look, don't you have a farm you have to get back too?"

"What are you talking about, I am not self absorbed!" Claire shot back. "You had something to say to me, I know you did, the second I walked in you said 'Oh!...Never mind…'"

He rolled his eyes, but pulled his hat down even farther. Claire wondered if he was going to cover his entire face with it. "Maybe I just thought somebody else was going to come in. Goddess, see what I mean? Self absorbed…"

"Gray, don't hassle Claire. She's a paying customer."

Claire held the small wrapped present in her hands, setting it down on the counter. "Actually…I'm not a paying customer today. I brought Gray a birthday present. But…I'll just leave," she shot a disdainful look back at Gray, who actually looked like he was trying to cover his face with that stupid hat, and then she stormed out.

"Ugh!" Claire shouted as she bustled into the library, tossing her backpack to the floor and collapsing in what she considered a rather strategically placed chair. Then again, some people actually came to the library to sit down and read, not to throw a fit. Then again, Claire added, I've never seen anyone but Gray in the library.

Mary pushed her glasses higher up on the bridge of her nose and grinned at her friend. She had gotten a new pair a few weeks ago that she adored. Claire found them a little terrifying. They seemed to magnify the tiny girl's eyes. But that smile…that was her best friend. That was the only person who could calm her down after a fight with Gray. Her expression softened into a smile as the girl, now too close to her to be timid, asked, "Something wrong?"

Claire remembered her confrontation with Gray and then leapt to her feet theatrically, throwing her hands down on Mary's little counter. "Oh, something is definitely wrong. Something is crazily, insanely, humongously wrong with that stupid little blacksmith who can't just admit that he was going to say something, and who can't just say a simple thank you!"

The black haired girl grinned at the blonde. She was by far used to this exaggeration. "So, you took him his birthday present after all?" she inquired, trying not to laugh. That would have really set Claire off.

"Yes! Yes I did," she enunciated every word, stabbing her finger into the air through every syllable. "I give everyone a birthday present. I get them one of their favorite things and I wrap it up nice and I take it to them on their birthday. But I go in and he opens his mouth and then he's like, 'oh, never mind,' and so I was like, 'what is it,' and he's all," she took on an ugly expression, quoting in a baby voice, "'You are so self absorbed!' So then his grandpa tells him to play nice so I set the present down but he's too busy suffocating himself with that stupid hat!"

Mary covered her face with her hands, giggling beneath them. Claire kept on going though, her voice a dangerous low mumbling. "One day I am going to snatch that U-M-A hat off his head and reveal the ginger to the world! What does U-M-A even stand for? U-M-A!? Us Major Assh-,"

"Claire!" Mary interrupted, and Claire sighed, giving into the girl's shocked expression.

"Sorry, sorry. I forgot, you hate cursing. But really, isn't that so mean of him? He jumped as soon as he saw me, and then he just starts getting all stuttery, all 'I didn't have anything to say, no, of course not.' He frustrates me so much sometimes!"

Mary smiled thoughtfully. "Gray…is an acquired taste, Claire."

Claire wrinkled up her nose, but then a new, strange expression flooded her face. Realization and a little bit pang of oh. The big oh that girls hate. "You…you've already…uh…acquired that taste, haven't you?" she asked, her eyes huge.

The petite girl before her winced a bit. She had, perhaps, realized what Claire hadn't at that point. But she eventually smiled and said, "Well, it's just…he spends a lot of time in the library. And we've really gotten to know each other. I mean, you know he's here a lot."

Oh did Claire know. How many times had Mary witnessed a screaming match between the two, how many times had she stopped Claire from throwing her precious books, how many times had she reprimanded Gray for going, as Claire said, 'below the belt!?' The fights the girl had seen in her little library could have been considered exciting as first, but now the weekly shows merely bored her, along with Claire's typical argument of, "Mary, tell him to stop!" and Gray's, "Oh, yeah, go beg your friend to stop your insanity!" This time came, of course, when both ran out of witty insults.

"Yeah, I may have noticed," she said sheepishly. Last time Mary had actually told the two that they had to leave, desperately claiming it to be 'closing time' after Claire had managed to finally throw one of the books, and Gray had tried to fling it right back at her.

"And, well, I've known him since we were both really young. He's a really great guy…underneath it all."

"He's shown you what he's like, underneath it all?" Claire demanded, and when her friend blushed, she did as well, quickly saying, "No, not like that! Oh, forget it."

"I'm baking him cookies for Winter 14," Mary's cheeks filled with even more color. In fact, Claire had never seen her friend's cheeks any other shade but…well, white. "I hope he likes them…I don't actually know if he likes cookies…"

Claire thought for a moment and then grinned. "I'll ask him! Me and Gray talk tons, I'll just ask him if he likes cookies!"

Mary frowned. "Claire…the way you and Gray speak to each other…it can't exactly be considered 'talking…'"

Claire frowned as well, but then shrugged. "Oh, we've had a few nice conversations! Just last week, he brought me my new golden hammer and said, 'Break a leg,' which, you know, is how they say good luck in theaters. I don't think even he's heartless enough to really wish a broken leg on someone." She paused and then folded her arms, adding on, "Except for that one time…well, don't you worry your pretty little head Mary. I'll ask him. In fact, I'll find out what his favorite cookies are! In fact, I'll find out if he likes you!"

Mary's cheeks were as red as tomatoes now. Well, not Claire's tomatoes. She remembered that hers had never gotten beyond that sickly green shade…but Zack had paid fair money for them anyways, after she had convinced him that they just, "Need more time to ripen." She was covering her cheeks, saying, "Oh, Claire, really, that's too much…"

Perhaps she just meant, 'If you try and ask Gray if he likes me, you'll end up screaming at him, making it obvious I like him, and embarrassing me.' But Claire smiled nonetheless and said, "Well, okay. If you insist. But I'm going to find out about the cookies. Heck, if I have to, I'll say I'm going to get cookies for Cliff. Hey, maybe I will! I'll bake Cliff some cookies. And then take them to him and rub them in Gray's face because I am an excellent baker."

"You have a kitchen now?"

Claire looked down.

"Well, you can always borrow Ann's kitchen. I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Mary pointed out with a small smile, straightening out the papers she was holding furiously. Mary often fidgeted to rid herself of her nervous energy, and so Claire watched as she jammed the papers' edges onto the table over and over again, waiting for them to align themselves.

The blonde took the papers and neatly shifted them together herself, handing them back to Mary with a wide smile. "You're right. You're so smart, Mary. That's why I'm going to do this for you. In fact, next time I see Gray, I will be a perfect gentleman. Woman. Gentlewoman. Is that a word, Mary?"

Her friend was about to answer when the door swung open, and a high pitched squeak escaped her before Claire turned, frowning at Gray.

"Oh, you're here." Mary coughed. "I mean, Oh! You're here, birthday boy! Yay! Hey, Mary, quick, get the streamers!"

Gray watched her with a raised eyebrow as Claire grinned back at Mary, who had her face in her hand, returning her friend's grin with a weak, half hearted smile as she peeped out between the cracks in her fingers.

"Look, Claire…about my present...well…" the boy folded his arms and took deep breaths, looking like he was really straining with something, and then finally he said, "I just wanted to say…" He stopped, wincing again.

Claire looked back at Mary with a pointed look that she hoped said see, I told you he was a major asshole or else Mary would wonder if she was making 'that weird face' again. "Yes, Gray?" she asked sweetly, dusting off her overalls and wincing back at Mary when a cloud of dust raised into the air.

"I wanted to say…thanks. And…IguessI'msortofsorry."

"Sorry, didn't catch that?" Claire asked, cupping her hand over her hear with that same sickly sugary smile.

Gray growled. "You did too hear me, blondie."

"I'm sorry ginger, I'm a little hard of hearing when it comes to bull-," Claire snapped back, stopping when Mary's voice hissed, "Oh, gentlewoman!"

"Bulls!" Claire finished, cupping her ear again. "I think I heard bulls. Do they have bulls here in Mineral Town? Hmm…I did not know that. Well, Gray, I suppose I could forgive you." Mary coughed again. "I mean yes, yes, of course. I forgive you," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Whatever," the boy shrugged, tugging on his hat again, and Mary seized Claire's arm before the blonde could snatch it off like she had been planning. "Bye," he told Mary, shooting another look at Claire before he left.

Claire turned to her friend with a proud grin. "That went well, didn't it? See, I'll be getting him to divulge all of his little secrets to me in no time."

Mary put her head in both of her hands this time.

Author's Note: So I've already written this entire story. Hahaha I have a bad track record with updating on time, so I've got all of the chapters written already. I hope you guys liked the start, it's going to be fifteen (I'm pretty sure) chapters long, unless I switch it up later…I've got a ton of little plot points to mix in together. =p This idea came to me because of a little love triangle thing I got stuck in, and I thought it would be perfect for this…though at this point not much is happening, don't worry. It'll get more interesting (hopefully) as time goes on haha. Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! :)